Check out this screenshot for Major Magnet, an iOS platformer hitting iTunes on January 10. What does it remind you of? Can you imagine a blue hedgehog with red shoes running around on it?

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The similarities between Major Magnet and Sonic the Hedgehog are not coincidence. The team at PagodaWest Games working on the new game have always held Sega's mascot in the highest regard. They even worked on the Sonic 2 HD fan project, helping smooth out the jaggy edges on one of Sonic's greatest adventures.

That doesn't mean that Major Magnet is a mere Sonic clone. Rather than controlling the game's titular hero with a virtual joystick and buttons, players will manipulate the environment to guide him from point A to point B. In this teaser trailer for the game we see the player turning on and off magnets to propel the good Major along his path.

Major Magnet, or Marv to his friends, is a lovable, bumbling sort of hero, one that takes being affixed to a magnet and launched all over Sonic-esque environments in stride. He's a better man than I.

Yep, the inspiration is clear—that's some quality Sonic homage there.

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I've not gotten a chance to try my hand at guiding the Major myself, but I have high hopes for the game. Mobile needs more strong characters and quality platforming games. If a heartfelt nod to one of the kings of console platforming gets the job done, then so be it.